Garment adjuster



A ril 10, 1934. s. B. SIEGMAN GARMENT ADJUSTER Filed May 13, 1933 lllllli'ffll'lillllr Patented Apr. 10, '1934 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Claims.

The invention relates to garment adjusters, and more particularly to a waistband structure adapted for use with wearing apparel for either men or women, by means of which a shirt or shirt- 5 waist may be so secured to the trousers or skirt of the wearer as to maintain them in their adjusted position.

A garment adjuster embodying the invention is so constructed as to facilitate the attachment of the waistband of trousers or skirts to the material of a shirt or shirtwaist in a manner to have the connecting means entirely concealed and to present no noticeable indications of the presence or use of the attaching means.

When the article is in use, it serves to hold the front of the shirt or shirtwaist smooth under all conditions, and at the same time supplements the action of the usual means employed for supporting the trousers or skirt.

With a waistband embodying the invention, no means cooperating therewith upon a shirt or shirtwaist are required, the attachment member by means of which the waistband is connected with the shirt or shirtwaist being adapted to receive a fold of the material of said garment thus permitting the attachment of the waistband to the garment from the outside of the latter.

This external attachment of the waistband to the shirt or shirtwaist makes it desirable to so form the attachment member as to facilitate the insertion of a fold in the light material of a shirt or shirtwaist in a slot provided in said member to engage same, particularly as even though this member is provided with an enlarged opening adjacent the point of attachment thereof with the waistband, considerable difficulty may be experienced in bringing the fold of the material into this enlarged opening.

In securing the attachment means to the material and the waistband, notwithstanding the ordinary use in such waistbands of a stiffening lining, it is preferable to secure the attachment member to the lining in a position where it will be adjacent the line of stitchings securing the Waistband to the garment thus utilizing this .stitching to prevent displacement of the attachment means in relation to the waistband while it is in use.

The construction of the attachment member is such as to facilitate this securing thereof to the waistband by means of a well known construction of sewing machine, and securing a desired flatness throughout the waistband, the construction also being such as to effectively utilize the stitching to prevent shifting of the attachment member along the waistband.

The invention consists primarily in a garment adjuster embodying therein a garment waistband, an attachment member provided at one end thereof with a narrow slot adapted to receive and grip a fold in the material of a shirt or shirtwaist, at the other end thereof with a cross bar extending lengthwise of the waistband, and intermediate said ends with spaced side bars, and means permanently securing said cross bar to the material of the waistband; and in such other novel features and characteristics as are hereinafter set forth and described, and more particularly pointed out in the claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawing,

Fig. 1 is a view of a fragmentary portion of the front of a mans trousers and of a mans shirt, broken away to disclose an attachment member in its relation to the shirt;

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of a waistband from the back, the material of the garment being shown in section; and

Fig. 3 is a view of the attachment member apart from the other elements of the waistband.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views.

In the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawing, it is illustrated in connection with its use with mens apparel.

In Fig. 1 of the drawing, a portion of the upper front portion of a pair of trousers is shown at 10, and a portion of a negligee shirt of silk, madras, broadcloth or other thin textile is shown at 11. The waistband of the trousers carrying the suspender buttons is formed of a cotton fabric strip 12 having a top fold l3 and a stiffening lining 14 of a heavy linen and jute fabric. This waistband is attached to the top of the trousers by an upper line of stitching 15 and a lower line 16, the latter being spaced from the bottom of the waistband.

Permanently secured to the waistband strip 12 and its lining 14 is an attachment member, preferably of the form shown in Fig. 3 of the drawing. This member comprises a top portion 17 having a narrow elongated slot 18 extending from adjacent the top thereof downwardly and into an enlarged opening 19 toward the bottom of the member. This enlarged opening is formed by side bars 20 and 21 extending from the top portion 17. A cross bar 22 extends in a substantially straight line across the opening 19 throughout the full width of the bottom of the member.

The cross bar 22 is attached to the waistband by means of stitching 23 inclosing the bar, this stitching being located adjacent the line of stitching 16 so that any drag upon the lining is resisted by this stitching, and any bulging of the lining as a result of the weight of the trousers is prevented.

To avoid lateral movement of the member in relation to the stitching, I preferably form serrations 24 upon the edge of the bar 22 presented toward the enlarged opening 19, although these serrations may be dispensed with, if desired, since the length of stitching may be extended throughout the entire length of the bar and thus limit any movement to the flexibility of the threads, which will not be great.

The portions of the member at the sides of the slot 18 are reduced and rounded to avoid any possibility of cutting the threads of the fabric of the shirt, and this slot is made very narrow so as to avoid possible slippage therethrough of the fold or bunch of material projecting beyond the slot.

It will readily be appreciated that it is somewhat awkward to form a fold in even a light fabric and pass this fold through the enlarged opening 19 so as to slip the material in the slot 18. To make the attachment to the shirt less difficult, I form a gap 25 between one of the side bars 21 and the cross bar 22 to give a slight outward flare to said side bar, as shown at 26, and provide the cross bar 22 with a rounded end 27 projected upwardly from the bar and inwardly of the opening 19. With this construction it is possible to fold or bunch the fabric of the shirt and slip the bunched portion through the opening 25 into the enlarged opening 19, and therefrom into the slot 19.

A rounded end 27, when used, provides a stop preventing the slipping of the bar 22 from within the stitching 23. In fact, in the construction above described, one side bar as 20 may be considered as a continuous bar merging into the cross bar 22, while the other side bar 21 may be considered as an interrupted side bar having an eye or opening 25 in the length thereof to facilitate the threading of the bunched fabric into the slot 18.

When used with mens clothing, the side bar 21 should be positioned to the right, but in womens clothing it should be positioned to the left. Whatever the manner of use of the attachment member, whether used upon the right or left side of the garment, its construction is the same, no right or left being required, and if right or left should be desired, it is merely necessary to reverse the member when attaching it to the waistband since each face thereof is identical with the other face.

The said attachment element may be made of any desired non-corrosive material, or material having a non-corrosive facing. It is preferable, to secure durability, to make the element of a sheet metal blank pressed to form, and cold swaged to provide the desired rounded and fiattened surfaces, and to give it a protecting coating of enamel.

In the use of the waistband of the invention by the wearer of a garment containing this waistband, belt, suspenders or the other supporting means usually employed are resorted to, and the this bunch, causes the bunch to be inclosed within the slot 18. The attachment member is raised in relation to the bunch when doing this, and is drawn downwardly to position the bunch within the slot. The use of an opening or eye 25 avoids the awkwardness of trying to form the bunch within the opening 19, it being possible, when such an opening or eye is used, to form the bunch at one side of the member and move the member laterally and downwardly.

When the waistband has been secured to the shirt in the manner described, the drag of the trousers upon the shirt will not only hold it straight in the front, but will prevent its creeping up, particularly during warm weather.

All of the stresses resulting from the weight of the trousers upon the attachment member will be transmitted to the waistband 12 adjacent the lower line of stitching 16, thus preventing any bunching of the material of the waistband.

The attachment member herein shown and described adds no material cost to the ordinary waistband, but adds thereto the function of holding the shirt in a proper position, and the shirt in being so held, serves to supplement the action of the belt, suspenders or other supporting means in giving the trousers a proper fit.

While I have shown and described a waistband in which the attachment members are used only adjacent the opposite ends of the waistband 5 proper, it is obvious that if desired a waistband may be equipped with attachment members at other portions thereof, although the connection of the member to the shirt will be rather awkward at any other points.

As heretofore pointed out, the attachment member as a whole is flat so as to avoid the presence of objectionable bulk in the waistband at the point of connection with the attachment thereto. By using stitching in connecting the attachment member to the waistband, and by using a narrow thin bar, the attachment member is permitted to move freely toward and from the waistband to facilitate its application to a bunched portion of the shirt.

The attachment may be readily used in connection with awomans costume involvinga tailormade skirt and a shirtwaist, wherein its operative effect is equally as advantageous as with a mans costume in preserving a proper adjustment 5 of the outer garments making up the costume.

It is not my intention to limit the invention to the precise details of construction shown in the accompanying drawings, it being apparent that such may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to have protected by Letters Patent, isz- 1. A garment adjuster embodying therein a garment waistband, an attachment member pro vided at one end thereof with a narrow slot adapted to receive and grip a fold in the material of a shirt or shirtwaist, at the other end thereof with a cross bar extending lengthwise of the waistband, and intermediate said ends with spaced side bars, and means permanently securing said cross bar to the material of the waistband.

2. A garment adjuster embodying therein a garment waistband, upper and lower lines of stitching connecting said waistband with the garment, an attachment member provided at one end thereof with a narrow slot adapted to receive and grip a fold in the material of a shirt or shirt- 150 waist, at the other end thereof with a cross bar extending lengthwise of the waistband, and intermediate said ends with spaced side bars, and stitching adjacent the lower line of the stitching connecting the waistband with the garment and inclosing said cross bar.

3. A garment adjuster embodying therein a garment waistband, an attachment member provided at one end thereof with a narrow slot adapted to receive and grip a fold in the material of a shirt or shirtwaist,. side bars projecting downwardly therefrom and forming an enlarged opening communicating with said slot, a cross bar extending lengthwise of the waistband from one of said side bars, said cross bar having an end projected upwardly therefrom and turned inwardly of said enlarged opening, and the other of said side bars being outwardly flared and spaced from said end to form an opening or eye to facilitate the passage of bunched fabric into said enlarged opening and said narrow slot, and means permanently securing said cross bar to the material of the waistband.

4. A garment adjuster embodying therein a garment waistband, upper and lower lines of stitching connecting said waistband with the garment, an attachment member provided at one end thereof with a narrow slot adapted to receive and grip a fold in the material of a shirt or shirtwaist, at the other end thereof with a cross bar extending lengthwise of the waistband, said cross bar having serrations along an edge thereof, and intermediate said ends with spaced side bars, and stitching adjacent the lower line of the stitching connecting the waistband with the garment and inclosing said cross bar.

5. A garment adjuster embodying therein a garment waistband, upper and lower lines of stitching connecting said waistband with the garment, an attachment member provided at one end thereof with a narrow slot adapted to receive and grip a fold in the material of a shirt or shirtwaist, side bars projecting downwardly therefrom and forming an enlarged opening communicating with said slot, a cross bar extending lengthwise of the waistband from one of said side bars, said cross bar having serrations in an edge thereof, and the other of said side bars being outwardly flared and spaced from said inwardly turned end to form an opening or eye to facilitate the passage of bunched fabric into said enlarged opening and said narrow slot, and stitching adjacent the lower side of the stitching connecting the waistband with the garment inclosing said cross bar and engaging the serrations therein.

SIDNEY B. SIEGMAN. 

